Translation
to compensate, to make up for
Word origin
From Latin compensare, 'to weigh together', from com- and pensare, 'to weigh'. Weighing one thing against another is where the idea of balancing a loss comes from; English pension and dispense are relatives.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- compensare
- English cognates
- compensate, pension, dispense
Examples
.
The committee compensated him for the lost time.
.
Nothing can make up for such damage.
.
He compensated for the damage with money.
is to balance a loss, in money or otherwise: you compensate a person pro the loss, and you compensate the loss itself per whatever makes it good. Kompenso is the payment.
The seam is a good one. It looks like - plus pensi, to think together, and the meaning is close enough that learners believe it. But Esperanto's came from French penser, and came from Latin compensare, where e meant to weigh, not to think. Latin then let the two drift together, because weighing something up became thinking about it, which is why the Latin connection is real and the Esperanto one is invented. The prefix in Esperanto is -, never kom-.
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kompensi: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "kompensi" (to compensate, to make up for): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 38.